The equipment of table tennis is in general if not very expensive compared to that required in other sports which you should not hesitate to buy the best. Excellent costs of a racket approximately five dollars; a ball, twenty-five hundreds; and a table, fifty to sixty dollars. A honourable store will sell good equipment to you, if you insist on him. If you wish to be really certain, seek the official joint of the association of table tennis of the United States, which is pressed on their equipment by these manufacturers whose products answer the characteristics minimum established by this body.

THE TABLE

The standard table of tennis is of nine feet by five feet, with the surface of play thirty inches of the floor. A white line a eighth a quarter of inch is bottom longitudinally the center of the surface of play and divides the table into two parts. Since the line is only employed in the doubles, it is not obligatory chooses the play inside, but is certainly preferable.

The best table of tennis to be bought is one with three-quarter-inch, five-handle the top skilfully. A table with three thicknesses is cheaper but deadens the rebound of the ball so that a fast play is impossible. The table should be vigorous, of the standard size, and should have eight legs.

Surface should be soiled (not painted) a color green-dark, or other subdues, nonreflective. A painted surface will slow down to the top of the rebound of the ball and will be also erased on the ball and will fade it. The table can be of folding or the stationary type, according to if you have a permanent place in which to keep it.

LIGHTING

If you envisage a gaming room of table-tennis in your basement, you will need good overheads of lighting - at least four bulbs of 200 Watts; a space of minimum clearance of twenty-five feet by twelve; and enough of part between the floor and the ceiling so that you can follow through on your races without striking the racket the ceiling - approximately eight feet.

THE BALL

By buying balls of table-tennis, shown extreme attention that you obtain a round ball, neither too hard nor too gently. A round ball is necessary for a true rebound. It is difficult to order a ball which is too hard or too gently. To examine a ball for the round-off, turn it on a surface punt; if it wavers lightest little, throw it. Inspect the seam of the ball carefully, because if the seam is too hard the rebound will not be true. Grip the ball, initially side and then other, and choose one with roughly the same amount of give each side.

THE NET AND POSTS

Only one word is necessary about the net and of the posts. All the length of the net is of six feet (five feet for the width of table plus an additional prolongation of six-inch on each side). The posts are six and inches of three quarters top and the net is suspended by a cord functioning of a post to the others exactly six inches starting from the table runner. A good net, plus two posts, costs approximately three dollars.

THE RACKET

The piece of the most important equipment is, naturally, the racket. The rules of the alluvium of table tennis you to use a racket of any size, forms, and material which you wish, but, by the experiment, the expert players learned that from the three, four or skilfully five-handle the racket heavy from five to six ounces and cover of soft rubber and pebbled is most satisfactory by far. The rubber pips prolong the contact with the ball and allow the order and turn in the same way as a new tire with full treads out of rubber seizes the road better and gives to the driver more order of its car.

The rubber racket with the additional advantage not to betray the speed of the projectile by the noise. It strikes the ball with same speed as racket of wood but does not allow the adversary with the 'ear of S to inform him severity, or lack of severity, projectile by the produced noise.

Once the equipment above was bought, you are ready to have pleasure to play one of the plays more satisfying and more provocants that you could wish.